Mint imperial – a guide to the Lamiaceae family
RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival celebrates the mint family in a range of feature beds. Also known as the deadnettle or sage family, Lamiaceae feature some of the most loved and well-known plants. They’re often scented and widely used as culinary and medicinal herbs
Meet the family
Lamiaceae is the sixth largest family of flowering plants with seven sub-families, 236 genera and more than 7,000 species. Lamiaceae includes wildflowers, trees and many common garden plants we grow for their vibrant flowers, pollinator-attracting properties and to liven our senses. What would the herb bed do without rosemary, lavender, basil, thyme, oregano, sage and, of course, mint?
Common family traits
Mythic mints
Lavender has long symbolised romance and 15th-century English superstition held that unmarried women would see their true love if they drank lavender tea on St Luke’s Day (18 October).
In folklore, Rosemary is believed to ward off evil spirits, protect against the plague and attract friends. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, as she descends into madness Ophelia gives out rosemary saying ‘There's rosemary, that's for remembrance’.
At RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival
Following the successful All About Asteraceae beds at the Festival in 2024, graduates of the London College of Garden Design are returning to explore the Lamiaceae Family. Book tickets to the Festival (1-6 July 2025) to see their fragrant collections and discover more about this remarkable and versatile family.Book tickets to RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival where you can enjoy the For the Love of Lamiaceae display